Updated on April 16, 2023
Whether you’ve been gone for 10 minutes or 2 hours, when you return home to your dog, he or she is likely to react with intense excitement.
A dog that is eager to shower you with affection. While being showered with love by your furry pet, you may notice that their nose is cold and moist.
Nearly everyone believes that a dog is content and healthy if its nose is moist and cold. However, they must be unwell if their nose is warm and dry.
This will certainly result in multiple unneeded trips to the vet. What does your dog’s wet nose mean and why does it happen?
WHAT CAUSES DOGS TO HAVE A WET NOSE?
A dog’s sense of smell is far more potent than any other. We humans rely on our eyes, while canines use their noses more often. Your dog uses more than just its nose to get around; its whiskers also aid in spatial awareness. When you want to know more about our canine friends, you can find out here why they have whiskers.
Your dog’s nose, and the amount of moisture and heat it contains, may change throughout the day. When you look in the mirror in the morning, afternoon, or night, you might see more of those cute little nose prints. Why, then, does a dog even have a damp nose?
MUCUS
The temperature and moisture levels in your dog’s nose may fluctuate throughout the day. Morning, midday, or night, you may notice more of those adorable nose prints. To what use, then, does a dog even have a damp nose?
LICKING
Dogs, essentially, take in scents by both their nose and tongue. Dogs have a supplementary olfactory organ called the Vomeronasal organ, often known as Jacobson’s organ, to aid in this endeavour.
This organ, which starts in the nasal cavity and reaches the roof of the mouth, greatly improves their sense of smell, making it vastly superior to our own. Multiples more potent than the human nose!
To enhance their sense of smell via the Jacobson’s organ, dogs lick their noses, where mucus is secreted to trap scent particles.
In addition, after a round of sniffing, a dog may lick his or her nose to remove any potential debris. Dogs are more perceptive than people give them credit for, and it is in their nature to maintain a moist nose so that they can smell as well as possible.
SNIFFING
The dogs, when outside, seem to be in every direction at once. They can be seen repeatedly putting their noses into various types of grass, mud, plants, bushes, water, and other liquids.
It’s a given that our puppies will sniff anything that looks even sniffable; they utilise their sense of smell to navigate the world. They can gather up moisture from the air, resulting in a damp nose, as they travel.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Due to their hairy coats, dogs are not equipped with sweat glands like humans. Instead, they regulate their body temperature through sweating via the pads of their feet and the nose, and by panting in hot conditions. In other words, this causes condensation to occur.
While it’s generally a positive sign when a dog has a wet nose, pay heed if it’s always running. An upper respiratory infection, for example, may be the underlying cause of persistent nasal discharge. See a veterinarian if you are concerned about this.
WHY DO DOGS GET DRY NOSES?
When the dog’s nose is chilly and damp, the scent particles stick to the nose, allowing for optimal scent detection. If your dog suddenly develops a heated, dry nose, there are many possible causes.
AFTER A NAP
Your dog’s nose will be warmer and drier than usual after it wakes up from a long nap.
Why? Because sleeping dogs don’t lick their noses, thus there’s no moisture there. In addition, your dog’s nose will heat up and dry off faster if you keep the room in which he sleeps on the warmer side.
AFTER EXERCISE
Exercising raises your body temperature, which in turn causes you to feel thirsty. An overly dry nose is a sign of thirst, so give your dog a drink of water after a vigorous workout.
AGE
Dryer nasal passages are a common complaint among senior dogs because they no longer produce the copious amounts of mucus that were once necessary for proper nasal breathing. As previously said, canines often wake up with a dry nose from sleep, and senior dogs tend to slumber more frequently than their younger counterparts.
WEATHER
Weather elements like the heat and wind can sometimes cause a dry, cracked nose.
SHOULD I BE WORRIED IF MY DOG’S NOSE IS DRY?
In most cases, the simple fact that your dog’s nose is dry and heated won’t cause him any distress. A number of other medical issues, however, might be causing this symptom.
SUNBURN
Keep an eye out for sunburn if your dog has been out in the sun for a long time. An obvious sign of sunburn is a dry, red nose with flaking skin.
SKIN AND ALLERGIES
The nose of many dogs, especially those with sensitive skin or skin diseases, can become dry and flaky. Dogs, like humans, can suffer from allergies that cause their nostrils to dry out.
SEVERE DEHYDRATION
When a dog is dehydrated, their nose might become dry, as was discussed earlier. However, in addition to a dry nose, other symptoms of severe dehydration in your dog include a loss of skin elasticity, lethargy, and sunken eyes.
RECAP
Your dog’s dry nose is probably nothing to worry about. The state of your dog’s nose is not necessarily indicative of its overall health. The ancient wives’ tale that a runny nose is a sign of good health has also been discredited.
If your nose is always dry, it could be a sign of something more serious that needs medical attention. Get your dog to the vet if it starts acting sick.
If your dog seems healthy in every other way, you shouldn’t worry too much about his or her nose.
